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Sunday, 23 November 2014

It is so miserable outside today - pouring with rain, a bit chilly.... what to do? Get making!

I was inspired to make some Christmas cards by a 'craft at home' article I saw in a supermarket magazine. Using gold card and paper from a very old and scribbled on encyclopaedia, cut out lots of symmetrical tree shapes, glue together and voila you have 3D trees. I m planning on threading ribbon through them to make a garland.

I then developed the idea further and these were the results!

This time I cut out 3 tree shapes, to make a simpler version. I am too impatient!

I used lovely paper from Tiger. Cheap and gorgeous!

I will add some text to the top of these, but my printer is out of action at the mo.... So I might stamp a message instead, I haven't decided yet.

Any symmetrical shape will work....

They are very easy to make. I made some envelopes to match!

I just used whatever card and envelopes I could find around the home, so they are all a little mismatched but I don't mind that.

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

I have been lusting over numerous photos on Instagram of wonderfully crocheted granny squares!

I have wanted a granny square blanket for as long as I can remember. They are so expensive to buy and the ones you find in charity shops are often made with the most hideous colours! Hence, the donation?!

I thought I'd give it ago.....ummm! Not as easy as it looks. I found it so hard to get the tension right, my first couple were very loose and big.

The more I did, the tighter my stitches got, progress!

However, I soon realised that I would need a little more practice and thicker wool before I seriously tackled a blanket.

I used a cotton yarn, I think, I bought it because I liked the colours! I didn't really think about how easy or difficult it would be to work with!!

I didn't look up how to make the string bit, I just chained along until I felt it was long enough and then single crocheted along the chain, and sewed the squares to the chain at random intervals.

I am dead chuffed with how it has turned out. It is adorning my bed at the moment, but it may make its way to the fireplace in my bedroom once the flat packed furniture that is in front of it is made!!

Thats all for now folks, hope you are staying warm and dry and finding the time to be creative too.

Claire x

PS - Sorry for the dreary photos, but it is very dark and grey here today, and yesterday, and the day before that come to think of it. I MISS THE SUMMER!

Sunday, 9 November 2014

WARNING: this is the moany part of the blog - but it get cheerier...I promise.

Mr J has been able to get home most weekends and has been busy doing lots of DIY. He is currently in the cellar 'spider proofing' Big G's room! This involves removing badly made floor to ceiling cupboards and replacing them with a fake wall. So yet again my house is upside down and an absolute mess. I'm not moaning but it does mean that I will spend much of the beginning of next week cleaning, rearranging stuff and painting yet more walls.

A few pictures of a small corner of the house that was actually organised (for all of 4 days) , it is currently buried in Big G's boxes, desk, a pile of clothes, you name it, its there.

My pine cones have opened up and dried out nicely. Two of my favourite postcards I received this month, some pretty vases purchased in Ikea and a remembrance card for Mr J's granddad who died last year, aged 100.

I am a bit fed up of painting, but probably not as much as Mr J is; spending every day off doing huge DIY projects! So not a lot of sewing or crocheting has been going on this week. I am however still continuing with my mammoth crochet blanket - one looooooong row at a time!

On a happier note:

(See, I told you!)

It was middle B's 7th birthday mid week and we celebrated this weekend with pressies and a cake. I used leftover wallpaper to wrap his pressies.

Not easy to wrap with wallpaper, it doesn't like to fold so you can't get clean crisp edges - but 7 year olds don't notice such minor details! I then used left over wrapping paper to make a sweet garland to hang. I couldn't find the Happy Birthday garland that we use for every birthday, I'm sure its nestled safely between some fabric in one of my cupboards. I whipped up a new one. Took me about 5 mins to make.

I had my birthday a couple of weeks ago too, and as usual was completely spoiled by my family - especially by Mr J.

. Please note that my kitchen table is NEVER this sparse! EVER! But Mum and I had just finished wallpapering this wall so I decided to take a quick pic. Birthday flowers from Mr J.

I am a huge fan of Rob Ryan's work...I mean HUGE. Mr J went overboard (not complaining) in Ryan Town and bought me a lazercut of my favourite piece of Mr Ryan's work. You can see it on the left of the photo, all framed and ready to be hung. Swoon.

When in London a few weeks ago I went to Ikea and stocked up on lots of frames. I spent an afternoon framing all the new prints we (I say we! Mr J is the gadgets/appliances man and I am the interiors lady - we stick to our roles!) have bought for the home. I now have no finger nails left, but I do have a mini art gallery to admire until I get the time to hang them.

I am still enjoying being part of the post crossing community. So nice to receive mail from around the world...some tell you about their culture and lives, others just want to say Hi and practise their English, and there are a few that use it to create beautiful mail art - just to make someone on the other side of the world smile. I have to admit that I use it as a create outlet.

A yellow themed envelope for a postcrosser.

A wonderfully floral themed package that I received a few weeks ago - for no other reason than I expressed an interested in flowers and airmail stickers from around the world.

Oh, one more SUPER DUPER CHEERY thing... Mr J and I celebrated our 4th (going out together) anniversary yesterday - I couldn't be happier if I tried. I bagged myself an amazingly kind, thoughtful and funny man when I honestly thought I'd be a single forever!

Thanks for stopping by my lovelies. Have a great week and I'll see you all on Instagram till my next post.